Willacy County approves $11,775 change order for Heritage & Wellness Center; conduit added for future emergency power pedestals

Eric Rietta, the project architect for the Heritage & Wellness Center CDBG-CV project, told commissioners the change order includes two primary items: higher-grade interior corner guards to protect drywall in high-traffic areas and labor/material to install a 3-inch PVC conduit along the west parking lot. Rietta said the conduit will be left empty now to enable installation of RV pedestals or other emergency power pedestals in the future.

Rietta described the corner guards as a concealed fastener system with decorative guards clipped on, and he said the conduit runs outside the pavement along the west lot to make future pedestal installation easier. He estimated typical RV pedestal connections would require 20-, 30- or 50-amp circuits; the court discussed potential interest in electric-vehicle chargers and whether sewer or sanitary hookups would be needed for RVs. Rietta stated sanitary connections were not part of the scope.

Commissioners noted the work is within the project budget and that the conduit is intended as future-proofing for emergency-response uses, including trailers and RVs that might need power during a disaster. After discussion about timing and potential separate future work to add vehicle chargers, the court voted to approve change order #6 for $11,775.